Want To Start A Dirt Amazon Tank

[Ryan_W]

Yours looks no bigger or better than mine, except yours looks dyed.

if you want confirmation on size, look at the size of my 2" platy and 2.5" barbs next to the sevs.

Think you need your eyes testing

 

[Liam2368]

^^
 
The Severum above is very perculiar, i know they can develop a nuchal hump (although it is rare) but that is the most pronounced one i have ever seem on a Sev. The body looks very short and rounded where in all the sevs i have kept they are more linear and spread out also the top lip does not look right, it almost seems to me it has some deformities or it is not a pure breed.
 
a Picture of a couple of mine that i have kept/keep that you can clearly see the difference.
 

Untitled by liam_2368, on Flickr

Untitled by liam_2368, on Flickr

 

[Ryan_W]

I agree in some respects, he does have a funny top lip.
As for his body, he's a good 8" but he is probably 1.5" thick. He's seriously stacked! Like a bodybuilder of the Severum community!
He was 'normal' as a Juvi:
 

 

 

 

 

[GShorty1981]

Yours looks no bigger or better than mine, except yours looks dyed.

if you want confirmation on size, look at the size of my 2" platy and 2.5" barbs next to the sevs.

Think you need your eyes testing

Your Sev looks no bigger than mine in real life, infact yours looks more short bodied/stubby, yours has longer tatty fins, looks died and has a tumor growing out its face and has a Blood Parrot mouth....not the best looked after Sev i have ever seen.

 
Mine is perfectly looked after with suitable tank mates.

 

[Ryan_W]

Haha... Don't cry mate!

I'm sure you'll think my Rotkeil is an abused, tumour growing fish too?!

PS: If you loved your prize winning fish so much, you'd take pictures of it without the flash on...

 

[GShorty1981]

Your Rotkeil also looks a mess for its size, should be showing much more vibrant colours than that, your water looks dirty, your tank is to small for all of those Cichlids, Jags and Severums wont work out long term in such a small space when the Jag gets some size on it.

 

[Ryan_W]

I'm sure my 130g tank will suffice for now...

As for dirty water, I'd done a WC the day before and I'd just fed the fish.
 
The Rotkeil is fine. He changes colour throughout the day and with moods.

Jags and Sevs work just fine. I've had 18 months trouble free and the Jag is already the 2nd biggest fish in the tank next to my True Parrot.

 

[GShorty1981]

Your gonna last along time around here with your 'supirior to everyones fish mate'
 
I'd personally cull that Severum.

 

[Liam2368]

Calm down gents, every fish is different it is all genetics.
 
 
P.s. my Sev is bigger nah nah nah nahhh nah. Only joking keep a lid on it chaps and stick to the ops post.

 

[Ryan_W]

You're*


I've been on this forum longer than you, so I'm not doing too badly.

Saying that, all the original crew aren't on here any more and it has lost its character.

 

[fluttermoth]

Ok, enough of the flame wars, please!

As adults, you should be able to discuss your differences without insulting each other personally.

Please keep on topic, or the thread will be locked, which won't help the OP.

 

[GShorty1981]

I thought this was supposed to be a friendly forum, i offer some advice, and passingly mention my Severum is close to 8", and this guy stamps all over me with 'mine could eat yours' sarcasm, insults and pictures of deformed fish.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

So my wife has given me permission to start planning a 75-90 gallon dirt tank. I am vibrating from excitement. This will be our 6th tank but our 1st dirt tank. So I am here looking for three things

1.) How do I start a SUCCESSFUL dirt tank? I do not want a flat bottom, I want at least one hill, and to look like a field meeting a forest. The hill should be in the forest. On the hill I plan to but a rock house, a cabin, or a cave with stairs going up the hillside to the door of the abode. I want to utilize the drift wood to look like growing and fallen trees. I would like the floor to appear as though it is grass covered, at least in most of the tank (can be some bare spots if necessary.

2.) We have never done live plants, so what types do you suggest, why do you suggest them, and how much of each?

3.) We are going to add fish we currently have. 2 Yoyo Loaches ( can add more if necessary), 2 dwarf rams ( want some more for sure or another smaller Cichlid that maybe lives longer than the dwarf, 3 Blue Acara (2 female and 1 male). 1 female convict (possibly may get a male or may sell the female we currently have). We are really liking Angels, Flowerhorns, Discus, Severum (we like discus more), Jewel Cichlid, Kribensis, Fire Mouth. We are also considering Gourami, Rainbows, Bala Shark or Rainbow Shark ( we may just put our Jerdon`s Baril in there instead). I am considering the rubber lip pleco, or corey cats for bottom feeders too. We are trying to breed Mystery snails at the moment too.

What we want at the end is a beautiful set up and then the perfect fish for it, using some of what we have already. There should be a nice mix of lower middle and upper tank dwellers. They should all be capable of consuming meat as well, so carnivorous or omnivorous. I am leaning toward the Flowerhorn (a male and female), the Yoyo Loaches (and a smaller pleco of some sort), Dwarf rams, Blue Acara, Convict (female only), a few Kribensis, 2 Jewel Cichlids, and 2 Angels. What I do not want is a tank of look a likes, and I certainly do not want anymore grey bodies with what ever stripes and highlights comes with it.

Please advise away, and as I get closer to population time I may take a vote on here as to what fish to add (at least for a couple species) as I am certain to be torn between some choices I come across in the mean time.

 
 
So, getting back on track, how's it going OP?
 
1 - have you looked into bank reinforcements?  These are just bits of curved material set into the substrate to help hold a bank up.
 
2 - The plants you choose will depend greatly on the amount of light you will have for them.  There are high lighting plants, medium lighting and low lighting.  Each would be fine with a dirt substrate to draw extra nutrients from the substrate... or you could dose ferts directly into the water column, or even use root tabs.
 
3 - I'll leave that for folks with much more experience than me with cichlids.

 

[Ilyas]

So my wife has given me permission to start planning a 75-90 gallon dirt tank. I am vibrating from excitement. This will be our 6th tank but our 1st dirt tank. So I am here looking for three things

1.) How do I start a SUCCESSFUL dirt tank? I do not want a flat bottom, I want at least one hill, and to look like a field meeting a forest. The hill should be in the forest. On the hill I plan to but a rock house, a cabin, or a cave with stairs going up the hillside to the door of the abode. I want to utilize the drift wood to look like growing and fallen trees. I would like the floor to appear as though it is grass covered, at least in most of the tank (can be some bare spots if necessary.

2.) We have never done live plants, so what types do you suggest, why do you suggest them, and how much of each?

3.) We are going to add fish we currently have. 2 Yoyo Loaches ( can add more if necessary), 2 dwarf rams ( want some more for sure or another smaller Cichlid that maybe lives longer than the dwarf, 3 Blue Acara (2 female and 1 male). 1 female convict (possibly may get a male or may sell the female we currently have). We are really liking Angels, Flowerhorns, Discus, Severum (we like discus more), Jewel Cichlid, Kribensis, Fire Mouth. We are also considering Gourami, Rainbows, Bala Shark or Rainbow Shark ( we may just put our Jerdon`s Baril in there instead). I am considering the rubber lip pleco, or corey cats for bottom feeders too. We are trying to breed Mystery snails at the moment too.

What we want at the end is a beautiful set up and then the perfect fish for it, using some of what we have already. There should be a nice mix of lower middle and upper tank dwellers. They should all be capable of consuming meat as well, so carnivorous or omnivorous. I am leaning toward the Flowerhorn (a male and female), the Yoyo Loaches (and a smaller pleco of some sort), Dwarf rams, Blue Acara, Convict (female only), a few Kribensis, 2 Jewel Cichlids, and 2 Angels. What I do not want is a tank of look a likes, and I certainly do not want anymore grey bodies with what ever stripes and highlights comes with it.

Please advise away, and as I get closer to population time I may take a vote on here as to what fish to add (at least for a couple species) as I am certain to be torn between some choices I come across in the mean time.

 
 
So, getting back on track, how's it going OP?
 
1 - have you looked into bank reinforcements?  These are just bits of curved material set into the substrate to help hold a bank up.
 
2 - The plants you choose will depend greatly on the amount of light you will have for them.  There are high lighting plants, medium lighting and low lighting.  Each would be fine with a dirt substrate to draw extra nutrients from the substrate... or you could dose ferts directly into the water column, or even use root tabs.
 
3 - I'll leave that for folks with much more experience than me with cichlids.

Thank you for that. I was getting really uncomfortable. I have not looked into bank reinforcements. I did not know to. Is that something that is manufactured or something I will have to make myself? I have not decided on plants at all yet. I figured I would find the main plant I really like then do my lights and other plants according to that. . I have decided though that I do not want to use a carbon dioxide set-up, as we got tetras this past weekend that were in one and they have burns and one has pop eye from it. The system they were in was on a timer for 11 hours a day and had a regulator on it to not allow CO2 to rise above a certain level. I have a feeling I would be happiest with root tabs so I am not always adding something to the water.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

You could look at pre-fab stuff, like this:
http/www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+6635+19749&pcatid=19749
 
Or, you could use natural rocks to do it yourself..
 
 
I don't like the idea of CO2 myself.   Simple plants are anubias, java fern, cryptocorynes, echinodorus...  these are plants I grow with no ferts of any kind outside of fish poo and my flourite substrate in low light (<0.5 wpg).  Parenthetically, the fish poo has done wonders for my impatiens as well.  The planted folks can give GREAT tips of plants, care, maintenance and lighting/fertilizer requirements.  (They are the ones I turn to when I have questions about plants.)